1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a framework and a method for using that framework to enable a monolithic concrete pour of a safe room or other concrete structure where it is desirable to pour concrete for both the walls and ceiling of the structure simultaneously.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is becoming increasing popular to install safe rooms in or near existing buildings, such as homes, schools, businesses, etc. These safe rooms are useful in protecting the occupants from tornados, and other dangers such as armed intruders. Safe rooms can be separated into two different types of construction: metal and concrete.
Generally metal safe rooms are prefabricated structures that are transported to the installation location and installed onto an existing concrete slab with suitable concrete anchor bolts, such as those manufactured by Hilti. There are a few metal safe rooms that are constructed on site by using fasteners to secure together large metal panels. Whether the metal safe room is prefabricated or is constructed in place, all metal safe rooms have one significant drawback. That drawback is that the structures cannot be installed inside most existing buildings because the prefabricated safe room or the panels from which the safe room is to be constructed is too large to enter the building without cutting an opening in the building.
Concrete safe rooms on the other hand can be constructed in place, provided the building into which the safe room is to be installed has or can be made to have a concrete floor that is sufficient to serve as an adequate anchor for the safe room which will be anchored to the existing floor or newly created pad for the safe room. Obviously, if the existing concrete floor is insufficient as a base for the safe room, a section of the existing floor can be removed and a sufficient concrete base can be constructed before the safe room is constructed.
Once a location for the safe room with a sufficient concrete base has been secured, then the concrete safe room can be built. Currently, this is done in two steps: first the walls are constructed for the safe room and then the ceiling is constructed of the safe room.
First, the walls of the safe room are constructed. To construct the walls of the safe room, anchors are secured into the existing base around where the walls of the safe room are to be located. Then forms for the walls are constructed of wood or other suitable material. Normally, the forms include either an opening into which a metal door frame and door will later be installed or a metal door frame that is secured in the forms so that when the walls are poured, the door frame is secured to the walls. The concrete walls are then poured. While the concrete is still soft, anchors are installed in the tops of the walls so that the anchors extend out the tops of the walls. These anchors will be used to later secure the ceiling to the walls when the concrete ceiling is poured. The poured concrete walls are then allowed to cure. The forms may either be removed after the walls are cured, or alternately, may be left in place while the ceiling is constructed.
Second, the ceiling of the safe room is constructed. To construct the ceiling, concrete forms for pouring the ceiling are built on top of the poured concrete walls such that the anchors that were installed in the walls during the pouring of the walls extend into the concrete form for the ceiling as a means of securing the poured ceiling to the previously poured walls. Once the ceiling forms are ready, the concrete ceiling is poured and the concrete ceiling is allowed to cure. The forms may either be removed after the ceiling is cured, or alternately, may be left in place.
When building a concrete safe room, a major cost involved in the construction is the labor needed to build two different forms and to do two pours of concrete, i.e. one for the walls and one for the ceiling. If a single form could be constructed and used to simultaneously pour the walls and the ceiling of a safe room, a concrete safe room could be constructed more quickly and at less cost.
The present invention addresses this need by providing a metal framework that forms a concrete form for both the walls and ceiling of a safe room so that a monolithic safe room can be created on a suitable base from a single concrete pour which simultaneously creates both the walls and ceiling of the safe room.